Rotary engine.



Patented Jan. 30, I900.

No. mmae.

G. A. CULVER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed May 24, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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INVENTO WITNESSES m: mums mans ca, puoroumu, WASHILUYON, o. c

STATES PATENT ()rricn.

GEORGE A. OULVER, OF GLENWOOD, IOlVA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALPHEUS ll. .VINKLER AND OSCAR R. PATRICK, OF SAME PLACE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,086, dated January 30, 1900.

Application filed May 24,1899. Serial No. 718,032. (No model.)

To aZZ 1072/0777] it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. CULVER, of Glenwood, in the county of Mills and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Rotary Engine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved rotary engine which is simple and durable in construction, very ef fective in operation, and arranged to utilize the motive agent to the fullest advantage.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement, with parts in section; and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1.

The improved rotary engine is provided with a cylinder A, mounted on a suitable base 13, and in the cylinder is arranged concentrically a piston 0, provided with oppositely-disposed piston-heads O C in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder A. The piston O is secured on a shaft D, extending centrally in the cylinder and through the heads thereof, to be journaled in suitablebearings (not shown) at its outer ends, said shaft being provided with means (not shown) for connecting the shaft D with other machinery to be driven. The bodies 0 of the piston-heads O O are cam-shaped, as is plainly indicated in Fig. 1, to gradually engage and swing outward the abutments E E',disposed diametrically opposite each other, and fulcrumed at E is the Wall of the cylinder, which wall is formed with recesses A A for receiving said abutments E E and allowing the piston-heads O C to pass the abutments. The abutinents are preferably made segmental in shape, so that when an abutment is seated in its recess A or A the cylinder is rendered continuous for the passage of the corresponding head (3 or C as above mentioned.

On the cylinder A and preferably at opposite sides thereof are secured or formed cylindrical steam-chests F F, connected by ports a and b, respectively, with the interior of the cylinder adjacent to the abutments E E, and said steam-chests are connected by branch pipes G G with a supply-pipe G connected with a boiler or other suitable source of motive-agent supply.

In each steam-chest F and F is arranged an oscillating valve H, having two heads H H of which the head ll controls the port a or b and the other head H controls the opening of a connection I, leading to a chamber J, adapted to receive a segmental arm E projecting outwardly from the free end of the corresponding abutment E or E. The oscillating valve H in each steam-chest is provided with a stem H journaled in suitable bearings in the heads of the corresponding steam-chest, and the outer end of said stem is provided with an arm 11*, pivotally connected with the eccentric-rod K of an eccentric L, held on the main driving-shaft D. Thus when the latter is rotated each eccentric imparts an oscillating motion to the Valve H to open the corresponding port a orb twice during every revolution of the shaft and in a like manner open communication between the steam-chest F or F and the chamber J likewise twice during such revolution, so that steam can pass into the cylinder A twice during one revolution of the shaft D and twice into each chamber J.

The valves in each steam -chest F or F have their heads H H arranged in such a manner that the head H uncovers the connection I immediately previous to opening the corresponding port a or b, so that steam first passes from the steam-chest into the corresponding chamber to press on the arm E of the respective abutment E or E, which forces the latter inward at the time the head 0 has with its outermost end just passed the free end of said abutment. Now as soon as the head has passed the abutment and the corresponding inlet-port a or b, then the force of the steam has pushed the arm E to bring the free end of the corresponding abutment in contact with the peripheral surface of the The steam entering the space he piston O.

tween the abutment and the piston-head acts on the latter to impart a rotary motion to the piston in the direction of the arrow a.

The interior of the cylinder A is connected adjacent to the abutments E E with exhaust branch pipes N N ,leadin g to an exhaust-pipe N3, extending to the outside to carry off the exhaust steam. Suitable packing-strips are arranged in the heads 0 and in the faces of the piston U to prevent leakage of steam.

Ido notlimit myself to the use of two steamchests and abutments and corresponding piston-heads, as it is evident that only one or more than two of each may be employed, if desired.

From the foregoing it is evident that when the piston-head engages an abutment to swing the same outward the corresponding arm E is forced against the steam in the chamber J, so that the abutment is cushioned to insure an easy seating of the abutment in the corresponding recess A or A Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A rotary engine, comprising a cylinder having an abutment-recess and ports connecting the abutment-recess and the cylinder with the steam-supply, an abutment pivoted in said recess, a piston and head rotating in the cylinder and an engine-operated valve controlling both ports, substantially as described.

2. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder, a piston mounted to turn'concentricall y therein and having a piston cam-head in contact With the inner surface of the cylinder,an abutment pivoted in the cylinder-wall and adapted to swing inward with its free end against the peripheral surface of said piston, said piston-head being adapted to move against and swing said abutment outward for the pistonhead to pass, said abutment being provided with a segmental arm extending outwardly, a cushioned chamber for said arm to move 1n, a steam-chest having a port leading to the cylinder adjacent to the free end of said abutsaid piston-head being adapted to move against and swing said abutment outward for the piston-head to pass, said abutment being provided with a segmental arm extending outwardly, a cushioned chamber for said arm to movein,asteam-chesthavingaport leading to the cylinder adjacent to the free end of said abutment, a valve controlled from said pistonshaft and controlling said port, a-connection between said steam-chest and said cushioned chamber, for imparting an inward swinging motion to the abutment, the said valve being for this purpose provided with two heads, one for the port and the other for the connection, and means forimparting a rocking motion to said valve for the heads to control the said ports, in such a manner that the steam-chest is connected with the cushioned chamberimmediately previous to connecting the steamchest with the interior of the cylinder, substantially as shown and described.

GEORGE A. OULVER. Witnesses:

DALLAS BRIGGS, HOMER R. MILLER. 

